🏈 ⏮️ Rewind to '95

Welcome to Good Ol’ Grizzlies, a newsletter fueled by Student-Athlete NIL (SANIL) for the University of Montana’s collective Good Ol’ Grizzlies.

In today’s content:
- Flashback Friday ⏮️
- Griz GM Report 🐻
+ So much more 👍

🏈 Bobby Hauck, Ryan Tirrell, and Keelan White will all represent the Grizzlies at this year's Big Sky Football Kickoff weekend

🏐 Volleyball finalizes its schedule for the 2024-25 season 

🥎 Softball named Stef Ewing the new head coach for 2024-25

🏈 ⏮️ FLASHBACK FRIDAY

One of the best and most memorable wins for the Montana Grizzlies football team in the 1990s was their victory in the 1995 NCAA Division I-AA (now FCS) National Championship game. On December 16, 1995, the Montana Grizzlies defeated Marshall University with a score of 22-20, securing their first-ever national title.

• Quarterback Dave Dickenson: Known for his exceptional performance throughout the season, Dickenson threw for 281 yards and 2 touchdowns

• Andy Larson's Game-Winning Field Goal: Kicker Andy Larson nailed a 25-yard field goal with seconds left on the clock to clinch the win for Montana.

🐻 📰 GRIZ GM REPORT

Griz Fans!

I hope you enjoyed celebrating America last week and are already looking forward to the upcoming football season! After explaining NIL last time, I wanted to discuss what NIL Collectives are briefly. (For reference, Good Ol’ Grizzlies is the preferred NIL Collective of the University of Montana!)

A NIL Collective is an entity designed to facilitate athletes’ potential endorsement opportunities. The purpose of a collective is to support and protect the players, businesses, and the university as athletes seek out name, image, and likeness opportunities. As a former student-athlete here, it is important to me that our students have the resources necessary to utilize their NIL potential fully.

Traditionally, collectives have pooled donor money to be distributed to athletes, and that was their only purpose. This is what many people think of initially with NIL Collectives and often why some people are hesitant about NIL. The idea of donors and boosters putting money into a “pot” for recruiting has made the Power 4 conferences resemble near-professional sports.

At Montana, we welcome any contributions to support our athletes. However, we also operate as a marketing agency to create opportunities for athletes to earn money. Schools with successful NIL Collectives will flourish, while others may fall behind. Consider helping our athletic program and becoming a member of Good Ol’ Grizzlies today!

Thank you for your support, and Go Griz!

Marcus Welnel
General Manager, Good Ol’ Grizzlies